Robert Lewandowski scored his 77th international goal in Poland colours in the FIFA World Cup clash against Saudi Arabia at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Saturday.

As Poland won the Group C match 2-0 and qualified for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup with a match remaining, Lewandowski created history by equalling Brazilian legend Pele’s record of 77 international goals. 

Also read: Watch Robert Lewandowski score his first-ever FIFA World Cup goal during Poland vs Saudi Arabia

Lewandowski was already the all-time top goalscorer for the Polish national team. His 77th goal against Saudi Arabia came in the 136th international appearance for Poland. 

Pele, on the other hand, reached his 77 international goal-tally in just 92 appearances for Brazil. 12 of those goals have come in his 14 World Cup matches, including 4 in the 1970 World Cup.

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The highest international goal scorer in world football is Cristiano Ronaldo. He has scored a record 118 goals in his 192 appearances for the Portugal national team, including his most recent penalty in Portugal’s 3-2 win against Ghana in the Group H fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

With Lewandowski’s goal, Poland have qualified for the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup with a match to spare. They sit at the top of Group C with four points from two matches. At worst, they can finish in the second position in the group which will still mean that they will move to the next round. 

Argentina, who were the favourites to win the group, suffered a setback against Saudi Arabia in their opening match. If the lose the next match against Mexico, they will be eliminated from the tournament with a match to spare.